


A Nightmare Come True?

by moonwings



Category: Assassination Classroom, The Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)
Genre: M/M, no beta we die like men
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-30
Updated: 2021-02-03
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:06:58
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 9,932
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28421424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/moonwings/pseuds/moonwings
Summary: Karma's always been a bit monstrous, but only in the best of ways. Turns out, there's a reason for that.
Relationships: Akabane Karma/Shiota Nagisa, Sally/Jack Skellington
Comments: 23
Kudos: 96
Collections: Monstrous Affections





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Never seen this crossover before. Decided to have a bit of fun with it.

A Nightmare Come True?

  
  
  


It hurt, and this time felt different from all the others.

Nagisa stumbled past judging crowds who carefully didn't see him, head throbbing more with every breath. The ground lurched oddly beneath his feet and one eye refused to work, the other showed everything through a red haze.

It was late, but not _unreasonably_ late. There were plenty other people stumbling around in scenes of horrific distress.

It was Halloween night and a large amount of people walked by dressed as everything from goblins, to fairies, to zombies. His own torn clothing and blood streaked face was mild in comparison to some.

Unfortunately his wounds were _real_.

He didn't seek help. What help would help be? he wondered, then giggled at the thought. Help would be no help at all. They'd send him back to his mother. She might just finish the job.

Nagisa had been to Karma's many, many times. Even half conscious he could find his way. He stumbled up the walk and fell into the door. When no one came to his racket, he fumbled with the key Karma had given him and tumbled inside, landing in a heap on the floor.

No one came. 

He crawled his way to Karma's bedroom, always so dark and a bit creepy, but comfortable and always _safe_.

Karma wasn't there.

Belatedly, Nagisa finally remembered Karma had gone with his parents on their most recent trip to some exotic destination. Whenever he went with he came back with the most amazing souvenirs for him.

Nagisa dragged himself to the soft bed and curled into the smell of Karma, head pounding even fiercer. Nothing felt right. Nothing felt _real_. There were swirls and flashes even in his blind eye and he didn't much care.

He was pretty sure his mother had finally managed to cave his head in.

Nagisa closed his eyes and gave into his exhaustion. He didn't much care if he would wake up again.

***

Karma felt when his bed was occupied. How could he not? Usually he'd be angry at the invasion, but he felt the knife and venom of Nagisa in it. He'd offered it to him as an emergency safe place when Hiromi got too much. Nagisa had used the offer several times before and Karma wasn't surprised he was using it now. Karma was, however, surprised by how _small_ Nagisa felt.

He went home. Nagisa would probably like to talk to him and he could explain his appearance by the simple fact of Halloween. He didn't want to hassle with putting another glamor up right now. 

His room was dark when he entered and the air smelled of blood. There was a smeared trail to his bed where a tiny lump lay, alarmingly still.

Karma softly crept over.

Nagisa's hair was almost _purple_ it was so covered in blood. He was curled into a ball on his bed, the pillow soden with crimson.

Karma's breath froze in horror. This was so _so_ much worse than ever before.

He grabbed the slim shoulders, giving the boy a shake. He moved with all the solidity of a ragdoll, flopping with the movement.

"Nagisa! _NAGISA!!"_

One eye slowly peeled open, pupil blown nearly to the rim. It drifted as the boy tried to focus and landed about two inches to the right of Karma. The lid drooped oddly.

"Ohhh. Hey Karma."

His voice was soft and light, a tiny bit dreamy.

Karma peeled back his other eyelid to see the pupil a pinpoint and the rest so bloodfilled and swollen he was worried of permanent damage. Even _he_ knew pupils that did not work together and were fixed was _not_ good.

Nagisa's eyes started drifting closed again almost immediately. 

Karma shook him again to try to keep him awake and was rewarded with the one eye reopening. He got a lopsided grin for the effort. 

"Hi."

"Hi. What happened?" Karma asked. It was a depressingly common question between them.

"I don't… know. She was just angry today."

Nagisa was in no condition to notice anything so Karma took the quickest method to check the damage, setting a fireball at the best angle and parting the blood soaked hair with his claws.

Crap. It wasn't just cuts. There were _holes_ . Nagisa had probably more than a dozen holes through his _skull_. There were flaps of skin peeled off from his skull and Karma could see gouges across the bone. "What did this?" he whispered.

"A… poker? For a fire?" It was a question. Nagisa's eye had drifted and wasn't focused on anything now. "Are you a fire? You're warm."

And Nagisa was _freezing._ His skin was tinging just the slightest bit blue. Blood loss… or the freezing air without enough clothing and covered in blood.

"Nagisa this is… bad. I have to call for help." He reached for the phone by his bed. 

"No help. Help won't help." Nagisa giggled. "My Karma. Got my Karma."

Truthfully, Karma was pretty sure Nagisa was already past help. He could feel death fingers in the smaller teens head, tugging. He snapped at the tendrils and they sulkily withdrew, only to try to sneak past again and try to get purchase.

Karma wasn't very good at death magic. He wouldn't be able to hold the force back for long. He felt Nagisa's heart stutter in his chest.

"I'm not… I can't lose you," Karma sobbed. He'd never cried before. Death was just a constant in his existence, it wasn't even anything to be feared. Some of his best friends were dead.

Nagisa smiled and it was so _sweet_. "I'm right here. 'M always here."

"Do you… want to always be with me?" Karma asked in a tiny voice. Nagisa was more than half delusional but he _needed_ to ask.

"Luv my Karma," Nagisa chirped happily. "My…" he trailed off suddenly and his face slowly started going slack. The death fingers gripped tight and tried to claim its prize.

Karma bit and _snapped_ the fingers, ripping them away. " _MINE,_ " he snarled and dropped his mouth to the slack one, breathing OtherLife into the lungs and swallowing the sweet softness before it slipped away. There was a literally breathless moment before Nagisa started breathing again, coughing out PlainLife. The death touch huffed and left in a sulk.

Karma's door slammed open and he flinched, hunching over Nagisa's still form.

His father didn't yell. He never did when he was truly angry. There was just a snarl vibrating silently in the air around them.

"I couldn't _lose_ him," Karma whimpered, so utterly uncharacteristically that his father froze, anger pausing.

He walked smoothly closer to see the situation more clearly and finally saw the tiny blue headed child his son adored, lying obviously bled to death on his son's bed, his head a mess. His anger fizzled out as Karma drew his lips across the pale cheek, trailing a bit of blood in a line and placing a kiss.

"You know you didn't do it right," he sighed. "You claimed his death as your own, not held off his death."

"I know."

His father drew his fingers over his skull, holding back a groan. "What do you think we should do now?"

"His mother caved his skull in. I want to have her _pay_."

"We can't cause true lasting harm to humans."

"We don't need to. Just leave her to the law. They'll punish her."

His father quirked his brow. "You want to take him away from the human world?"

"He doesn't have anyone… any _thing_ else to keep him here. He won't want any chance of her getting him back."

His father gazed at the boy, always underweight and underdeveloped, just shy of starved and _so_ happy every time he was with Karma. He might have seemed harmless, a meek mouse, but he'd seen the flashes of what was underneath and it had even startled _him -_ which was a considerable accomplishment.

"All right," he sighed, stepping forward and slipping to the other side of the bed, easing his arms under the slight body and _lifting._ A ShadowForm dropped out, leaving the boys TrueForm laying limp in his arms. Karma moved to grip one lax hand softly, threading fingers together tightly.

Jack Skellington lead them into a shadow and they were gone, leaving the evidence that would damn Hiromi Shiota behind.

***

Nagisa groaned, curling into the warmth beside him. It was soft and comfy and he didn't want to move. It smelled like Karma.

He loved these dreams, cuddling with Karma in a way he'd never dare do awake. He wasn't sure Karma would accept it and losing Karma over his… affections would break him. Better not to show it.

A warm arm wrapped around him, pulling him closer into a firm chest, his head nuzzling into the hollow of a shoulder.

Nagisa carefully didn't think about anything else. He didn't want to wake up yet. He'd have to go back to his mother soon. If she'd calmed down, she might coo at him and try to dress him up. If she hadn't he might get a few more whacks and he wanted to delay that as long as possible. 

This… was proving to be a very resilient dream.

The arms around him were firm and solid, secure and steadying. Karma's smell was stronger than ever, smoke and autumn - that indefinable crispness but without a bite. Long nails skimmed across his skin in lazy patterns.

His thoughts froze. Karma kept his nails immaculately short. He'd never seen him have so much as a hang nail.

Nagisa's eyes shot open to see a Karma with scales trailing his cheekbones and forehead, a crown of horns rising by his hairline. Little flickers of flame drifted off every so often from _somewhere_. His eyes were sleepy and half lidded but open enough to see the pupils were slitted.

Karma smiled softly at him. "Good morning."

Nagisa blinked. "This is a very weird dream," he concluded.

Karma smirked. "You often dream of snuggling with me?" he asked.

"Not often," Nagisa admitted, "but I like them best. You've never had horns before."

"We ever do anything else?"

"... no."

Karma hummed, then pulled the smaller teen quickly against him, dropping his mouth to give a toe curling kiss with 28 hits. It left Nagisa gasping with the unexpected assault, heart pounding… and not waking up. He always woke up when he got emotional in dreams.

Karma lingered, following Nagisa's mouth lazily before slowly drawing away. Nagisa gaped at him.

"We ever do that?"

Nagisa numbly shook his head. "Always wake up when I get excited. Why didn't I wake up?"

"Because you're not sleeping."

"... you've got _horns_ ," the bluenet reiterated.

"I do. I suppose now is a good time to fill you in on a lot of other things as well. A lot's happened."

Nagisa slowly nodded. Dream or reality, it was best to start of a firm footing.

"I suppose I should begin that you practically died in my arms," Karma winced.

Nagisa froze, remembering the searing pain in his skull, the blindness in one eye and how things had _moved_ when he wasn't looking at them. He vaguely recalled going to the one place he had ever felt safe and talking to Karma. Except… hadn't Karma left nearly a month ago?

He reached up to his head, feeling stringy blood crusted hair.

"Careful!" Karma yelped, jerking up and holding the slim fingers. "It took forever to stitch back together!" He guided the fingers along several long lines, tiny stitches holding the edges firmly. He also felt several divots where his skull simply _wasn't there_.

Nagisa choked, fingers twitching against the gap of bone and skin.

"Don't worry," Karma soothed, laying their foreheads together and breathing softly. "It's healing so it's not going to rot. It'll fill in."

Nagisa nodded shakily before letting his eyes drift around the room. The first thing he noted was that both his eyes were working now. The second was that this was the most charmingly creepily eclectic room he had ever seen in his life. The third was that Karma had _wings_.

The first should have been a relief, the second should have been the most important, but he focused solely on the third because these did not look the least bit prosthetic. They shifted lightly and flexed. As Karma sat them both up, the wings flared out and half flapped before settling firmly along his spine.

They were in no way _bat-like_ even though they had membranes stretching between supports. They were lightly scaled and the crescents shimmered like the edge of a flame. Nagisa reached out to touch. Karma jerked, but Nagisa preempted the movement, estimating where it would go and running a finger along the edges. It was warm, but didn't burn. It was sharp, but somehow didn't cut.

His eyes froze at finally seeing his own hand. He had blue fingernails. And blue… freckles?.. going up his arms. He trailed one finger over them and they were hard but smooth but didn't dampen sensation.

Karma reached out and took his hands, drawing his attention again. "I really think you should hear the explanation before you go any further. It'll be a bit… hard to believe, but you need to hear it."

Nagisa stared wide-eyed and nodded.

***

"So… this is a place called Halloween Town, a place that makes Halloween. It's filled with supernatural beings that are all a little creepy. Your father is actually the king here and you're one of his sons?"

Nagisa was looking out the window at the town. They were in a tower so he had a good view of the square. It was a relatively little town, with all the buildings rather haphazardly built to the point where he wasn't sure how they actually stayed standing. There were all manner of creatures walking by, completely normally. A child fish monster wasn playing hopscotch with a tiny werewolf. The sky was orange and the sun looked like a pumpkin.

It was so utterly bizarre that he was pretty sure he couldn't have imagined this, even as a dream.

Once freed from the bed, the room proved to be a bedroom with ceiling high windows that opened. He supposed that might make sense if Karma's wings actually _worked_.

Karma looked mostly like he always did, except for the scales, the horns, wings, eyes, and fire flickers randomly coming out of his hair. Nagisa played with them several times, surprised they didn't actually _burn_.

"Nagisa," Karma called his attention back. "My room in the human world is _mine_ . I felt you go there and you felt… _wrong._ I found you nearly dead." He winced. "Your head was…"

"Yeah…" Nagisa swallowed. "I know."

"You _don't_ know. There was skin hanging off. You've got holes into your _brain_. There are gouges in your skull."

Nagisa winced.

"Nagisa," Karma whispered, jerking him into his arms. "Death was already trying to grab you."

"But… I mean… I don't feel _dead_."

"I stole your death. I gave you an OtherLife. It's still life so you'll heal, but you're not really going to be human anymore." Karma drew his thumb under his eye, trailing something.

"I want to see."

Karma's brow furrowed, pained and self-doubting.

"I'm not upset," Nagisa soothed. "I believe you. I just… want to see."

Karma hesitated a moment, then grabbed a mirror from his desk.

Nagisa took a steadying breath before looking into it. 

...

He really didn't look that much different. His eyes were slitted now, but still blue. One was bloody red, but it looked to be healing. His hair was matted with browned blood and the parts showed carefully stitched skin that looked days old. The divots were obvious, but they actually had very delicate scales over them, paper thin.

His face was peppered in scales very similarly to Karma's but in blue and they were _much_ tinier - he had the distinct sense they were still growing in. His skin was paler and his lips were also blue and when he opened his mouth, it opened further than it should, nearly unhinging. His tongue was kind of purpley and forked, his teeth were sharper. He moved his lips around and two fangs slid down from the roof of his mouth, followed by a row of smaller fangs that spread like a fan behind them. He tried to poke them with his tongue but they snapped flat whenever he tried to touch them.

"It's… not bad," he concluded, actually glad he went snakey. Truthfully he liked snakes.

Karma sighed in relief. "Residents of Halloween Towns are all technically considered the same species even though we look so different. We're called different things, but there isn't any racism. A vampire can marry and have children with a zombie and the kids could be something else entirely, or they could be the same as one of the parents. I'm the only dragon in the town. My Dad's a skeleton and my Mom is a ragdoll. All my siblings are skeletons."

Nagisa stared at him.

"Too much?" Karma asked.

"No… I'm just... trying to picture you with siblings."

Karma grinned, his teeth all sharp. "I needed to grow up more in the human world. It's easier to maintain a human type form there. My siblings couldn't because skeletons are bad at putting flesh on themselves. They were _really_ sensitive to my fire and I didn't have good control, so my parents split their time with me there and them here. It was also so I could learn how humans are. It's expected that I might take over the title some day. Not guaranteed, but it's best if I understand humans if I need to."

"And you met me."

"I met you. And _you_ …" Karma shook his head. "You made me _want_ to be there always."

"But you couldn't."

"I'm still a creature of Halloween Town. I couldn't stay there forever, and as I got older, it got harder. The human world could sense me better as I got stronger and didn't want me there."

"I'm not going back?" Nagisa whispered.

Karma grimaced. "On Halloween night… but otherwise… no. We left a ShadowBody there. It'll have been found by now. Your mother is going to be held accountable for killing you - and she _did_ kill you. I claimed your death, but it still came."

Nagisa felt his knees start to give out in relief. He stumbled forward into Karma's arms.

"Thank you… thank you thank you _thankyou."_ He dropped his head to the firm shoulder as Karma's arms wrapped around him. Karma held him, softer than Nagisa had ever imagined possible, fingers drawing tiny circles against his skin. It was comforting and soothing.

"What does… what does it mean to claim my death?" he finally asked, not moving.

"It's… intimate. I mean, really _really_ intimate. My Dad was furious, but he calmed down when he saw it was _you_ ." Karma cradled Nagisa's face in his hands and looked into his eyes seriously. "It's… closer than a bond. Deeper than a marriage. At the most personal level, my life and yours are one. My death and yours are one. I didn't _stop_ death from taking you. I _stole_ it. It could be considered worse than a rape _and_ a murder."

"I don't. It's _not_ ," Nagisa assured him. "I want you to have it. I -" he froze.

"You said you loved me… before," Karma said. "Did you really mean it or were you delusional from blood-"

Nagisa kissed him, trying to curl his tongue in new ways and explore Karma's mouth, relief flooding him. "I meant it. I love you. I love you," he whispered against the dragon's lips, a confession he'd restrained for so long by now.

Karma gave an almost shy smile and kissed him back.


	2. Meeting the Family

Nagisa wobbled down the stairs, Karma helping stabilize him. The stairs weren't quite even, all though they were steady. It was like climbing an ancient stairway hewn from primordial rock.

The kitchen was filled with chatter and young voices tumbling over each other. He could hear the familiar voices of Karma's parents, though when they entered the room he _didn't_ recognize them immediately. 

He'd always marveled at Karma's parents strange non-Japanese names. Jack and Sally.

Sally was still recognizable by her red hair, as red as Karma's. Now, though her skin was a grey-blue and she was covered in stitches. Her smile stretched further than her lips in stitches and her eyelashes looked tied on.

Jack had always been intimidatingly tall - where Karma obviously got it from - and thin. Now he was literally just bones. He moved just as easily and somehow his skull was as animated as a normal face, the bones forming words and expressions naturally.

Sally gave a happy exclamation at seeing him and ushered him into the chair next to Karma's. She peeked at his stitches and seemed pleased at the healing. 

"You'll need a bath after this," she noted, flicking a congealed-together block of his hair.

There were _five_ skeleton children. Three boys and two girls. Two were currently fighting over whose arm bones were whose. Apparently they'd had a bit of a tumble and were still trying to put themselves back together. The others were looking at him with widened eye sockets.

" _Wow!_ Were you really _human?_ " one asked, in the exact tone of voice someone might ask if a person was mythical creature.

"I… yes," Nagisa admitted. Karma caught his fingers and squeezed reassuringly.

"Why'd you come here?" the largest one wondered.

"I was… hurt. Really badly. So Karma decided we should both be here."

It was the simplest explanation he could think of. These children might be dead, but he didn't want to explain the concept of murder - accidental or not - to them at such a young age.

Sally nodded in thanks and set a plate of breakfast down in front of him. Nagisa's first incredulous thought was that it looked exactly like green eggs and ham from the children's book. He poked it with a fork before cutting a piece off and putting it in his mouth. It tasted… zestier than eggs and ham, but mostly comparable. It was also the first food in nearly three days so he ate it neatly, but _quickly_. Sally smiled a bit sadly, but put a much larger second portion on before he had even finished.

He wanted to ask what exactly this _was,_ but thought better of it. Probably best not to ask about _any_ foodstuffs for awhile. This was a monster town. He seriously doubted they ate anything so tame as eggs and ham.

"After your bath, I need to talk to you… _both,"_ Jack stressed, cutting his own meal of… chicken bones? They weren't moving so it was obviously _dead-dead_ which was a bit of a relief. "You're not in trouble," he continued at Karma's wince. "But there are things both of you should know."

Karma nodded solemnly. He knew what he'd done was a serious taboo. Nagisa didn't seem to mind but it was still a… violation of epic proportions - and he might just not mind because he didn't really _understand._ Nagisa needed to be fully informed.

The bluenette ate his breakfast and smiled at the children with wondering eyes. He was gentle and indulgent as Cindy climbed into his lap and tugged on his hair. He urged her to be careful, but didn't stop her exploring fingers from tracing his stitches.

"You've got stitches like Mommy!" she declared, beaming.

"Well… yes but they're healing. I won't have them forever… right?" he asked, turning to Jack, suddenly unsure.

Jack considered the blue scaled teen carefully. "I don't expect so. You seem to be fleshy and healing."

_Fleshy_. Interesting term. Nagisa supposed he was going to have to get used to new terms.

Karma smiled at him, an odd tiny thing, simultaneously adoring, disbelieving, and torn. It was a strange look on such a normally self-assured individual.

Nagisa threaded his fingers through Karma's as soon as the little girl got off his lap at Sally's urging to finish her own meal - which consisted of tiny bones in a clumpy white pudding type oatmeal. He rather suspected it might be _bone_ meal.

The children tumbled from the table after the meal, limbs flying as one tackled another, the fight over an arm bone still continuing. Nagisa couldn't help but think it was frankly adorable.

Karma tugged him up and led him to the bathroom, a crooked door that opened to an uneven room with a sink, shower, and large tub. No toilet. The cleaning utensils included everything from the normal washcloths to stiff bristled brushes, to a stall that seemed to be a giant dryer with creams and only the smallest water source.

He ended up needing Karma's help to get his clothes off. His limbs felt a bit rubbery and he was a bit off balance. He did find that his flexibility was miles above what it had been.

Karma sat him on a stool with a towel around both their waists and started scrubbing his back carefully, lingering over spots that were still sore from where the poker had hit but not punctured as he had tried to shield himself. Karma's fingers were delicate even with the claws when he moved onto Nagisa's hair, carefully messaging the scalp to avoid damage.

Nagisa felt treasured. 

"I love you," Karma announced, freezing behind him. "I didn't actually say it before, did I? I love you. Even when you were human. Which was… actually kind of inappropriate."

"Would you ever have told me?" Nagisa wondered.

"No. Bringing someone to Halloween Town is kind of like killing them. Their life in the Human World ends. How could I cut off your life - your future? But…" Karma traced the stitched lines on his head. "I couldn't… you were… I couldn't lose you." He wrapped his arms around Nagisa's chest and dropped his head onto the shoulder. "You're not going to age after this. You'll be frozen in time. Halloween Town is ageless. People born here only age as they willingly mature, so they might stay a child for centuries, but people brought here stop when they arrive."

Nagisa let his head tilt back onto Karma with a sigh. "Is it weird I'm now kind of grateful to my mother?" he asked.

Karma jerked, obviously not expecting that. "What?!" he asked incredulously. 

"Were you ever coming back after this vacation?"

"I'm… not sure."

"But you wouldn't have had much longer if you had, right?"

"A few months… maybe."

"You'd have been gone forever, and I wouldn't have been able to find you, because you didn't exist anywhere on Earth," Nagisa said, voice strained as he imagined it. Losing his best friend and secret love permanently without even understanding why. "I would've had to live my life always wondering where you were and why you never came back…"

"You would have… moved on eventually."

Nagisa hid a wince, remembering more than once when he'd put a knife to his wrist and thought about just sleeping. Stood on the rooftop and looked at the pavement and thought about falling. Watched a truck go by and thought about taking just one step in front of it.

Remembering Karma had always brought him back. Had him put away the knife, step away from the edge, continue down the sidewalk. Losing that reason…

"I wouldn't've." He knew it. Deep in his gut. He would've broken eventually.

Something in his voice conveyed his certainty, had Karma tightening his arms around him in realization at what Nagisa wasn't saying. He didn't ask for clarification.

"Then maybe I'm a bit grateful to her too," he allowed, reluctantly but honest. "She still killed you though. And abused you for _years_. She deserves to be punished."

"I suppose so," Nagisa sighed, more in relief than loss. "But I'm happy with how this turned out."

Karma huffed a laugh behind him and finished rinsing him off. They climbed into the tub together, the water more green than blue or clear, but felt obviously clean. They didn't do anything but cuddle, Karma breathing in and solemnly considering what his absence would have resulted in, and Nagisa nearly liquid with relief at understanding what had been avoided. 

This might actually be his heaven.


	3. French Kiss Via Soul

Nagisa had to wear a new outfit Sally had made for him, carefully patterned on his old preferred clothing but just a bit twisted, the seams a bit odd in their placement - which he found the purpose for when they didn't restrict his new seemingly boneless flexibility. He could twist his upper body a complete 180° to face fully behind him now. It was probably alarming and just a bit grotesque but Sally simply clapped her hands and double-checked the fit. Karma's breathing got a bit ragged and smoke trailed from his nose on an exhale.

"I really… this is  _ too much _ !" Nagisa insisted.

"Nonsense. I practically never get to use blue. It doesn't suit practically  _ anyone  _ here. Sandy gives me new bolts of fabric every year and it's just been piling up. It's absolutely  _ perfect _ on you! I've got all kinds of designs I'm going to try! You're going to be my model for at least a month!"

"Don't even try," Karma advised from his seat. "Mom loves sewing. I mean," he gestured at her, covered in stitches. "She makes clothes for the whole town."

"But I can't pay her."

Karma snorted. "Money is a Human World concept. There's no money in Halloween Town. Everybody just does what they like or what's needed… which usually coincides. We make Halloween so we always have things to do and we enjoy doing it."

Nagisa stared and considered. "What should  _ I _ do?" he asked.

"No one will really expect anything from you for at least a decade. You're new here so you'll obviously be busy learning the ropes. If you decide you want to try something anyone will be happy to show you what they do."

Nagisa considered this as Sally fluttered around him, pulling out another swatch and holding it up against his skin and considered the color. "I like vests," he finally conceded.

Sally beamed.

***

Now properly dressed in something not bloody and torn, Karma brought Nagisa to his father's study. It was filled with books and blackboards, pinned up plans and blueprints and a desk piled high with paperwork and scrolls. Jack sat behind it, writing with a quill on what looked to be a diagram.

Karma sat with Nagisa in two of the chairs in front of the desk and didn't speak.

Jack glanced at them, finished a few more lines and set the quill aside. He frowned, stood, and led them instead to the side where a couch and a few chairs were around a small table. It was much less intimidating than facing him over the desk.

"I need you both to understand the seriousness of what Karma did," he said, his face(? skull?) stoic. "What he did… stealing your death is…" he floundered, trying to find a way to express the concept and the gravity of the situation.

"I would have killed myself," Nagisa announced, like an ax in the conversation. 

It obviously startled Jack enough he lost his train of thought entirely. "What?"

"If Karma didn't come back. If he wasn't  _ there _ . I would have eventually killed myself. The only reason I haven't…  _ hadn't  _ was because he was there. Whenever I thought about it I'd come over."

"You'd thought about suicide?" Jack asked, slightly stunned. He'd never have expected it from the child that seemed joy incarnate around Karma.

"Not because I wanted to die… just because it would  _ hurt  _ less. My mother…" Nagisa looked away. "She's not  _ right _ . I couldn't defy her, but it  _ hurt _ being nothing but her surrogate and plaything. Karma was all I had that was  _ mine _ . My one reason to hold on. If he was gone…"

"You would've had no reason," Jack said solemnly, following the rationale.

"I love him," Nagisa blurted. "I don't… I literally can't conceive of being without him. I don't care if he just wanted me as a friend. It would've been enough. I just want him happy and to be in his life."

Jack regarded him carefully, saw the absolute honesty and tried to wrap his head around the idea of this child just… giving up. He'd never have guessed the boy was balanced on such a fine edge with only one thing holding him back. He turned to his son.

"I love him," Karma said. "I didn't know he felt the same. I didn't know I was that important. I would have talked to you about allowing him here if I'd known how… delicate the situation was."

Jack considered the situation, then leaned forward and rested one hand on each of their heads and searched for their sincerity, the true level of their devotion - separate from the bonding. It was disturbingly deep, just shy of fanatical on both sides, held back solely by the assumption it was one-sided. Nagisa didn't understand what having his death stolen meant, and he honestly didn't care. If he'd known about it, he would have offered it himself, even if he  _ had  _ understood the full consequences.

It was literally the best thing Jack had encountered since Sally had given him children.

He leaned back, immeasurably pleased at the situation. "You are both madly in love with each other," he announced. Karma beamed and grabbed Nagisa's hand, who turned bright eyes to him. "Nagisa really  _ truly  _ doesn't mind." He rubbed his brow. "Alright. Karma won't be punished."

"He could have been?" Nagisa yelped. Tightly gripping Karma's hand.

"A person's life and death is their most intimate thing. It's… a bit like your soul, future, potential, and destiny all at once.  _ Stealing  _ it is… like slavery, rape, and murder all rolled into one. Having it taken from you unwilling is akin to losing absolutely everything. It's not a crime that's treated lightly. Fortunately it requires a good deal of death magic to accomplish and very few people can use death magic."

"I want him to have it. He can't have  _ stolen  _ it if I would have eagerly given it to him if I'd known it was possible."

"That's why he won't be punished. He might have taken it without permission, but you also didn't fight it. You could have. If your soul had rejected his attempt you would have just died. It wasn't a very  _ good  _ theft honestly. You could've  _ easily  _ resisted. He'd barely made contact and you practically threw it at him." Jack grinned wryly. "And his soul is  _ coveting  _ it. With how badly he stole it I could have theoretically retrieved it… but his soul is threading through it and you're luxuriating in it. I think if I tried I'd destroy both trying to untangle them."

"So he's got my soul?" Nagisa asked, head cocked.

"Not… not exactly. But kind of." Jack sat back, trying to figure out a way to clarify. "Souls are… they're supposed to be separate. Like in its own bubble attached to you. Stealing a death is essentially ripping into someone else's bubble and  _ eating  _ it. There's a victim. They lose everything and only exist by the thief's whim. Karma barely touched your bubble and it's like you forced yourself down his throat."

Nagisa grinned, teeth sharp and flashing.

" _ He  _ might have initiated it, but you were definitely no victim. He's also not even capable of dominating it. I swear they're  _ blending _ like… ombre. Both are distinct but intrinsically connected and if I were to try to separate them I'd do irreparable damage to both. There's just one bubble and it's attached to you both now." He shrugged. "I can't consider your situation an actual crime since this is something your very soul  _ wanted _ ."

Karma trembled, holding Nagisa's hand like a lifeline and like it was  _ precious _ .

"By all accounts of magic you're married now."

Nagisa couldn't contain a hiss of absolute glee, then was surprised at the sound, putting his free hand to his throat.

"What does that mean for us?" Karma asked, overjoyed but needing to know how it would affect their situation. 

Jack groaned. He hadn't wanted to need to face this situation for at  _ least  _ a century.

"You are  _ going  _ to become intimate. With the situation of your souls you won't be able to hold off. Nagisa is currently healing and transforming so your normal restraint is enough right now, but once he's recovered and adapted? You won't be able to keep your hands off each other. Honestly with how insane you both are for the other it would be wrong of me to even try to forbid it. So we're going to have to make some adjustments to your living quarters. I'll have the witches make the first spells to divide the house. It'll make a space that is just yours so your…  _ activities  _ won't disturb your siblings and they can't walk in on you. I however insist that you don't do anything inappropriate in front of them. They are still too young to mature too quickly."

"I… you want us to stay?" Nagisa asked… voice tiny and fragile.

Jack blinked at the insecurity as Karma pulled Nagisa into his lap and cuddled him.

"Karma isn't even two hundred. Normally he shouldn't have matured to this physical age until he was at least five hundred. I suspect he aged just to keep pace with  _ you _ . It would be completely inappropriate for him to try to make a new home at this age." He considered Nagisa with laser intensity. "And I think  _ you  _ will benefit from having a stable and supporting family environment. At this point you're essentially my son too, so of course I want you here. It takes a unique kind of devotion to sacrifice your soul to someone instinctively. I  _ respect  _ that intensity."

Nagisa's muscles relaxed at the assurance he hadn't caused trouble for Karma or strained his relationship with his family. "You're two hundred years old?" he asked instead, smiling slyly.

"That's really young for Halloween Town! I'm Dad's  _ third  _ son. Skell and Ryb are older than me by  _ decades  _ and they were the ones fighting over the arm bones… that arm was Grim's by the way. He was the one smirking."

"So am I robbing the cradle or are you?" he grinned.

"Neither  _ technically _ . I matured at the same pace as you," Karma smiled, tracing his thumb over Nagisa's wrist. "Physically we're the same age, but culturally I'm young. I'm still going to want my parents for a few centuries no matter how much I want to f-" he cut off at Jack's loud throat clearing, "I mean be with you. You're only sixteen. Wouldn't you like a parent that wanted to take care of you too, even while you want a physical relationship with me?"

Nagisa thought of Sally, her eyes dancing while she compared swatches against his skin and how she'd hummed to herself as she eagerly set down breakfast and wiped stray crumbs from grumbling children's clothes. He thought of Jack sitting calmly in front of them, understanding their situation and not pressuring them in any direction, wanting them to just be comfortable and happy. A calm steady presence that felt of safety and protection.

"Yes," he admitted.

Jack smiled kindly. "The official story will be that you were nearly dating in the Human World" which they practically  _ had  _ been, considering how they had acted around each other "and Nagisa was fatally injured while Karma was out of town." Also true. "When Karma tried to save your life, you instinctively gave him your death." Also pretty true.

"What about… my mother?"

"It's not something you need to hide. If you feel like sharing it everyone will understand why you were so eager to give Karma your death. They'll probably consider it romantic. If you don't want to explain how you were injured most won't press and if any do you are entitled to walk away. It's a very rude question to demand an answer to." He paused. "As for your mother's situation in the Human World, the authorities have found your ShadowForm and are investigating. They have already taken Hiromi Shiota into custody and the case is all but solved. Her ranting has given plenty of evidence."

Nagisa sighed. "Do you think she'll be executed?" he asked. "I'm kind of glad she forced the issue before Karma disappeared for good."

Jack considered. "It seems obvious that she's mentally unstable. I can ensure that she's not executed but committed to an asylum for mentally unstable criminals. She won't be killed, but she'll spend the rest of her life there."

Nagisa considered carefully. "I think that's best. I'm not sure she would ever get better."

"She wouldn't. There's something very wrong with her. It can't be fixed or medicated. She needs to be in an environment that can cater to her mental needs and prevents her from acting out on her violent tendencies."

Nagisa sighed. "I guess that's the best retirement plan I can give her. She  _ did  _ do a crime, and it was practically a miracle that I  _ didn't  _ die, so she should be punished. Thank you. I don't want her to be killed."

Jack nodded solemnly, pleased at the compassion as well as the resolve displayed. He smiled softly at the boy. "Karma, can you show Nagisa the town? He should get to know the layout. I should get back to work. Make sure he doesn't hit his head - his brain is still healing."

Karma nodded and rose with Nagisa who trailed beside him. "My  _ brain  _ is healing?" he asked in surprise as they left the room.

"Some of those swings punched into your brain. I'm actually amazed you made it to my room."

"I was pretty determined," Nagisa recalled, "and kind of confused. It was the only place I wanted to go. Why am I not having any problems  _ now _ ?" he wondered.

"OtherLife is more resilient than PlainLife. It's practically impossible to actually  _ die _ . Even the corpses heal to their normal state if they're injured. Things don't work here the same as in the Human World. That's how my Dad is a walking skeleton and my Mom is a living ragdoll. The soul defines the form here. Even if you got  _ atomized  _ you'd eventually come back, especially since our souls are together." Karma shrugged. "Humans are ridiculously fragile."

"Are you… okay with our souls-"

"The  _ only  _ reason we're not in  _ our _ room celebrating and christening  _ our _ bed is because you're still healing and I don't want to strain your body while it's still changing," Karma rumbled, smoke trailing from his mouth. "I am fucking  _ ecstatic _ . I'm a  _ dragon.  _ I've got a dragon's possessiveness. I want to  _ own you _ . It's why I've been so careful around you. I was terrified you'd get scared away."

Nagisa tugged Karma to a stop, wrapped his face with his hands. "I'm not. I  _ want it _ ."

Karma grinned, sharp fangs flashing. "Yeah," he purred. "Your soul would have fought otherwise. You're probably insane for a human."

"But pretty good as a Halloween Town resident?" Nagisa asked.

"You. Are.  _ Perfect _ ," Karma stressed, pulling Nagisa into a kiss. "And not just because you'll be great as a Halloween creature. I can't believe you really love me as much as I love you."

" _ I  _ can hardly believe you love me as much as I love you. I'm kind of obsessed."

Karma grinned and pulled Nagisa into another kiss. It was sweet and chaste, following his father's request, but tender enough to convey his feelings. Nagisa smiled softly as he stood tiptoe in Karma's embrace, content to be held.


	4. Metaphysical Reality

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Karma introduces Nagisa to his strange new life.

"How do things stay  _ standing? _ " Nagisa asked, gazing at the City Hall.

"The builder wanted it to stand, so it does. It's a concept given form. It  _ can't  _ fall over."

Nagisa considered the idea. "Halloween Town is kind of metaphysical, isn't it?" he asked as Karma led him around the square. The central fountain was of a sea serpent spitting water into the surrounding pool, even greener than the bathwater had been. He dipped his fingers in. It didn't feel slimy even though it  _ looked  _ like it was filled with disgusting things. It felt clear and didn't give off any kind of odor.

"Basically," Karma agreed.

"Well, well - who do we have here?" a voice came. It was kind and a bit nasally high, like a kids toy if it could speak. Nagisa turned to see a bloated corpse, a woman in a dress leading a corpse child with stitched shut eyes by the hand.

"This is Nagisa. He's my husband. He just arrived a day ago," Karma said proudly, holding his hand and brushing close.

"Really?" she asked in astonishment. "You're so  _ young!" _

"I started maturing when we met. He shoved his soul down my throat!"

Nagisa groaned. "You just  _ had  _ to use that euphemism, huh?"

"It's pretty accurate!"

"Oh there's a  _ story  _ there! Do tell!" the woman cheered. She released her son. "Go play with Shrunk. Be back before night." The child nodded and ran out of the square.

"We met eight years ago and we've been practically inseparable since-"

"We did have that one fight."

"Doesn't count. I was  _ trying  _ to push you away. It didn't work."

"True," Nagisa conceded.

"Anyway he got badly hurt a few days ago and when I tried to help him, he-"

"Shoved my soul down his throat," Nagisa finished. "He didn't actually get much choice about it."

Karma's hair flamed gold as he grinned. "Well, couldn't leave him there after that, could I?"

"Absolutely not!" the woman agreed. "I'm delighted to meet you Nagisa! I'm Mrs. Corpse. I know - a bit on the nose, but it's apt. My husband, son and I are all corpses. Why not be accurate? I know it might be a bit odd to change but it's really not that bad," she soothed.

"You were human too?" he asked.

"Oh,  _ ages  _ ago. My husband and I were on a ship that sunk. We drifted for days on a lifeboat before we were picked up, but by then our wounds had gone septic. Jack saw us the next night on Halloween and offered to bring us here. We accepted. Sure we turned into corpses but," she shrugged, "we would have anyway. And our son was conceived and born here so he's never known any different. He wouldn't have even existed if not for Jack!"

Nagisa smiled. "Are a lot of residents brought here or born here?"

"Well, some were brought, but some came here on their own. Sometimes after someone dies they come here. You'll notice this isn't a big town so it's obviously  _ very  _ rare. Some are born here, but whether they ever grow up or not depends on the person. My son is nearly three hundred years older that Karma and is still a child, while  _ he's  _ grown up very young."

Karma shrugged. "Wanted to keep playing with you," he replied. "Seemed natural to age."

Mrs Corpse cooed. "You must be absolutely perfect together! I'm so happy for you!" she gushed. "And so handsome too! I'd almost forgotten how nice blue is! You don't see it almost at all here!"

"It's not… bad? I don't exactly fit in," Nagisa fidgeted.

"Nonsense. It's nice to see again! Halloween Town is perfectly dreary but a bright spot of color can only highlight it!"

"That's… an interesting way to put it."

"You'll notice Karma is very  _ red _ . That's different too and he fits in perfectly. I'm sure you will too!"

"Thank you Mrs. Corpse," Nagisa said politely, relieved that his unusual coloring wouldn't apparently mark him as an outsider.

"Well, I have errands to run. I'll see you both later," she said and left on slightly stiff legs.

"She didn't smell," Nagisa noted. 

"She's not really rotting. Sure she's a corpse, but she's not decaying."

"I'm really going to need to adjust my worldview," Nagisa noted.

"No one will expect you to get used to it quickly. It  _ is  _ a big culture shift."

"I'm happy to be here," Nagisa said, pressing into Karma's chest and hugging him. "I don't want to be anywhere else!"

Karma smiled softly. "I know. I also know it was completely unexpected, so it's okay to be a bit surprised."

Nagisa calmed a bit. "Why do I feel so… insecure? I'm frightened at the mere thought of being away from you."

"Probably because of our souls. You lost your bubble, where your soul had always been, what it was  _ used to  _ and moved somewhere  _ else _ . It was what you eagerly did, but it has to be strange. You don't feel entirely secure since you gave up something so intrinsically precious. Your soul was willing, but it was sudden. Without us having… cemented things you feel unsteady."

"But I'm  _ happy  _ my soul's with yours! _ " _

"I know. I can feel you purring. But  _ you  _ can't feel  _ me  _ yet, so you feel a bit frightened."

"How much longer? I feel just like I did when we made up from the fight - paranoid at everything."

"You just woke up this morning!"

"I've wanted to get with you in bed for four years."

"You would have been twelve!" Karma sputtered. 

"Well, it was just to  _ cuddle  _ at that age, but believe me I've wanted  _ more  _ than that since I was fourteen."

Karma rumbled in desire, smoke escaping on his exhale and hair flames burning brighter.

***

Jack was right - Halloween Town residents seemed to  _ adore  _ Nagisa once they heard about how he had come to be here. Hiding their death-gift would be unwise as their joining would have a huge impact on the rest of their lives, and the residents  _ understood  _ what it meant that Nagisa did what he did, even if they didn't know the exact circumstances in which it happened. It made them respect their relationship even with them both being so young. This wasn’t a fling for either of them.

Mrs Corpse was also right - nobody minded his unusual coloring within their landscape. Blue was unusual, but most liked how his coloring was subtly creepy. Meant he could get closer before people would run away when scaring them.

By midday Karma led him back to Skellington manor, the most improbably balanced building in town. Sally kissed them both on the cheeks and told them they were just in time for lunch, a nice hearty soup. Nagisa gave Karma all the little bones in his but ate the rest. It was purple and bubbled but tasted very good. Sally had even made some rice for him - although it was grey and seemed to have menacing grins on each rice grain, thankfully they didn't move and it tasted just the way it should.

If there was one thing that was bothering him, it was the itching. He kept wanting to scratch at his scalp and kept stopping whenever he felt his stitches. Sally frowned and after the meal sat him down to look at them.

"I think they can come out now," she decided and retrieved a pair of tiny scissors. She snipped each tiny stitch and started pulling them out with tweezers. Thankfully it didn't hurt.

"Did you come to Halloween Town?" he asked as she worked. 

"No. I was… well I suppose you could call it born here."

"Suppose?" he wondered.

"Dr Finklestein made me. So I wasn't really born. I was created."

"Like a Frankenstein?"

"Well… a bit but not really. I don't have bones beyond a skull, a jaw, and in my hands and feet. Otherwise I'm just skin stuffed with leaves."

"How does that even work?"

Sally shrugged. "It just does."

Nagisa dropped the topic, not wanting to seem rude.

"Hmmm…"

"What?" he asked.

"I think you'll have a stitch mark pattern in scales wherever you were cut."

"Oh. That's not bad," Nagisa decided.

Karma grinned from the couch. "It's  _ cute,"  _ he declared.

"There!" Sally declared, pulling the last one free. "All done!"

Nagisa ran his hands through his hair feeling the lines of tiny scales developing where each stitch had been. He didn't press hard and avoided the soft spots where his skull had holes. He wondered how long it would take them to fill in.

*** 

The rest of the day was spent in the library trying to catch up on the history of his new home.

Earth was a place of absolute Laws. Things governed and determined by forces that could be quantified by mathematical equations. If left very little room for anything else. But "little room" didn't mean  _ no  _ room for something else at all.

Even on Earth they had found that simply by making a decision you affected some experiments. Somehow, thoughts affected reality in some areas.

The Holiday worlds were a product of that undefineable psychic energy. So many people believing in singular events caused just enough energy to create the Holiday Worlds, which were then defined and shaped by human perceptions. The Holiday Worlds were literally concepts given physical form and function.

Exactly  _ how  _ it worked, no one was quite sure, especially since they were even more subject to thoughts changing their own reality, so there really wasn’t a way to test or experiment. No one wanted to accidentally erase themselves from existence if they were confronted with proof they shouldn't exist. Better to live by the motto "I think, therefore I am".

So… Halloween Town existed, and would continue to do so for as long as the Human World believed in or enjoyed either any kinds of ghost stories, monsters, or cryptid, or continued celebrating any kind of holiday focused on fun frights and creepy celebrations.

Interestingly, there were adjacent Worlds built up not around Holidays, but themes. There were several different Worlds of the Dead, depending on what a person had expected or believed. Other Worlds included everything from El Dorado to Atlantis.

The Different Worlds actually had a good relationship with each other. As they were all concepts, there were no constraints. They never ran out of room or resources. There were no plagues or disasters. There was simply no  _ reason  _ to fight, and so the Worlds had contact and it wasn't unusual to go vacation in another World for a bit or to have someone from there visit here.

For example: Halloween Town had their own creepy versions of several other holidays. Christmas was especially popular, although their toys eithers attacked the recipient or were destroyed to begin with. Still, the town's residents were always happy Christmas day, so it must all work out  _ somehow _ .

Thinking too hard on it might just induce an existential crisis, so it was just easier to accept the weird reality and continue from there.

Nagisa closed his latest book, rubbing his eyes. Karma perked up from his perch behind him, lounging and taking up the entire rest of the couch they were on.

Nagisa blinked at him. "Wasn’t I at a desk?" he asked.

"You came over here about an hour ago. You were using me as a cushion for awhile," Karma helpfully supplied with a grin.

"Right," Nagisa sighed, not remembering it, but also not doubting it. "When is that going to stop happening?"

Karma gave him a frank look.

"... oh. Right…" the bluenette said, realizing the obvious answer. He was actually looking forward to that. He was just…  _ tired _ right now.

Karma got up and put the books away, then helped Nagisa up, who was more wobbly than he had been all day and led him to dinner. Nagisa scratched at his still itching scalp.

The two boys had finally figured out the thirds trick and were drawing markings on their elbow joints to have identifiers so the same prank couldn't be pulled again. They shot pouty suspicious looks at the completely unrepentant Grim. Cindy had pillaged Sally's craft baskets and was busy combing out some very mismatched yarn. Every so often she'd try to stick it to her skull and it would fall away, resulting in a cute pout and more combing, like that would solve the problem.

Sally took the yarn and set it aside. "I'll make you a cap with it tonight. You can have it in the morning," she stressed setting down a plate of… mud pies?

Nagisa poked it with a fork. It didn't move much like mud so it was probably something else. They all waited respectfully for Sally to set everything down (they'd learned from experience that otherwise all 5 of the kids tried to help and that normally resulted in dinner all over the floor) and all began dinner at the same time.

Nagisa lifted the top curiously. A carrot screamed at him. He dropped the lid back down.

"It's not actually alive," Karma assured him. "We've made sure. It just screams in the light." He took a bite of his pie and there were no protests from the food.

Nagisa took it on faith and tried it himself. It tasted… like beef pot pie actually, just more… earthy? Not bad. Just like there were more mushrooms or something.

"So how did you enjoy your day?" Jack asked.

"It's… an adjustment. But… I really like it here," Nagisa said. "Everyone was really nice."

"We might specialize in scaring people, but that's just our job. Otherwise Halloween Town is a nicer place than most," Jack nodded. "And we're three hundred and sixty two days away from next Halloween, so we'll be mostly laid back for a few days."

"Three hundred and sixty two? I was asleep for two  _ days _ ?" 

"You  _ had  _ just lost your PlainLife. That's not really surprising," Jack shrugged.

Nagisa looked at the dragon. "Did you hold me the whole time?"

Karma blushed and his hair steamed. Probably a yes then. Nagisa smiled and went back to dinner.

Wrangling the kids to bed was a challenge, even with four of them now available to do it. Once they were all in bed, there was a rotating list of one who got up for some water or other tiny delay.

Karma and Nagisa themselves were sent off to bed before the children had finished their rotation as Nagisa drooped more and more. Karma helped him change into some silky red pajamas that Sally had either made today, or were some old ones of Karma's. Nagisa didn’t have the energy to blush as they situated themselves into bed.

Karma mostly on his back, but with enough space for his wings to be to the side, Nagisa curling up into Karma's side with his head on the dragon's shoulder. Karma pulled up the covers and draped a wing over them both like a comforter. Nagisa snuggled in and was asleep in seconds.

Karma just watched him sleep, fingers threaded through the blue hair, scratching lightly to hear Nagisa’s pleased hisses. He blinked and looked closer.

There was something growing out of the holes in Nagisa's skull. They were too tiny to see exactly  _ what _ , but they were slim, scaled, and trying to wrap around his fingers.

Karma went to sleep enjoying the proof of Nagisa’s new Halloween Town nature. His biggest regret about his inevitable departure from the Human World had been leaving Nagisa behind and now that problem was completely gone. They'd have millenia together now. The thought had a ball of fire ignite in his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not related to story, but I'd like your opinion.
> 
> I accidentally stepped on someone's metaphorical toes. I immediately apologized. Oddly enough, they seemed to get angrier and said my apologizing was "inappropriate".
> 
> Weirdly, I had also told them I was taking down my comment they found offensive (I didn't understand the logic in something in their story) at a certain time so I'd know they had seen my apology - and they deleted it themselves just to leave that insult to *me*.
> 
> It's kind of mean when you give a true heartfelt apology and the recipient spits it back in your face. I did and do admit that I offended them, but I didn't intend to. 
> 
> What do you think? Is a sincere apology inappropriate or were they just being mean?


End file.
